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Cristal 2002

Louis Roederer, Champagne, France

Louis Roederer
Champagne France
  • 99
    Points
  • The 251 best
    of 3 290 954
    wines globally
  • 48 Pros of
    49 recommend
    this wine
1127 99
  • Taste
  • Moment

  • Country ranking ?

    214

  • Producer ranking ?

    12

  • Decanting time

    15min

  • When to drink

    now to 2030

  • Food Pairing

    Roquefort madeleines

Food Pairing

Roquefort madeleines

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

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The Wine Advocate - Robert Parker - June 01, 2010

98 Points Roederer's 2002 Cristal is a fabulous wine! Originally released in 2009, it was re-released in March this yearùand was sold out in a very short time. The Cristal I tasted at Roederer in May 2018 was disgorged in 2010, after seven years sur lie. Its amazing richness and concentration makes it a forerunner of the 2015 and follows the 1999. Only two timesù2002 and 2015ùthe fruit from ...

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The Story

In 1876 when Tsar Alexander II requested that a special cuvée be created for his court Roederer duly obliged, creating what many regard to be the first prestige cuvée. 

As the political situation in Russia was somewhat unstable, Tsar Alexander feared assassination. He ordered that Champagne bottles be made of clear glass, so that he could see the bubbles and to prevent anyone from hiding a bomb within, as could easily happen with a typical ...

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Wine Information

HARVESTING:
An extraordinary year that brought together all the factors that make for a great Champagne year : constantly warm temperatures without excessive heat or sun preceded by a markedly mild winter; a reduction in rainfall (about 20%) during the growth cycle; cool nights and a cold dry north-easterly wind from August to September. These exceptionally favourable conditions
combined meant that the grapes matured perfectly and their fl a...

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Vintage 2002

A cold winter and a mild late spring cued for a perfect June allowing early and fast flowering. Outstanding weather conditions prevailed and the season went on without dramatic turns. Rains in August raised concerns regarding gray rot, but finally sunshine and dry conditions throughout September resulted in an abundant crop of largely healthy fruit (11,930 kg/ha). Dehydration due to wind further aided in achieving perfect ripeness and addition...

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Tasting note

color

Light, Green-Yellow and Bright

ending

Long, Pure, Lingering and Bitter

flavors

White fruits, Mint, Mineral, Buttery, Citrus and Licorice

nose

Pure, Refined, Closed and Youthful

recommend

Yes

taste

High in Acidity, Low alcohol content, Low tannin, Perfectly balanced, Multi-dimensional, Concentrated, Youthful, Medium-bodied, Modest, Refined, Focused, Vivid and Dry

Verdict

Transparent and Intelligent

Written Notes

Cristal is produced using only the finest vintages from crus guaranteed to originate from the Louis Roederer vineyard.  The wine is left to mature on yeast for an average of five years and spends a minimum period of eight months in the cellar after disgorgement.

A bit closed nose but with layers of roasted nuts, yellow apples, deep and very seductive, Japanese pear, hints of butter, curry and brioche. Perfect Cristal nose but still  not completely open. Full bodied, full throttle palate with ripe yellow apples, ripe citrus, Japanese pear, hints of nuts, ripe peach, cane sugar, brioche, white flowers. Very rich mid palate but at the same time very vibrant and long with an amazing grip and lots of mineral notes on the never ending finish. Amazing!

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  • 98p
My expectations were not entirely fulfilled since this wine plays in exactly the same league as the ordinary vintage wine and the Blanc de Blancs this time. Sublime and aristocratic of course, but not as full-bodied as the vintage wine. Wonderfully feminine elegance just a month later. Hoey and fantastic today. A bit closed in 2012 so wait.
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  • 96p
A brilliant champagne. It offered a tiny bit of honey, suggesting it is slowly developing but this is at a snail's pace. There is also spice and citrus. It is a wonderfully complex fizz, offering bright acidity and perfect balance. And such finesse! What a stunning wine, as you'd expect from the top wine from one of the great Houses in a superb year. 98.
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  • 98p

Pale lemon yellow. Apples, lemons, brioche, minerals, detailed and layered, intense nose. Fresh acidity, apples, minerals, brioche, detailed and layered, intense and long. Stunning. 96

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  • 96p

Good looking normal size bottle. Colour is gold, and looking clear and mature. On the nose it is mature. The taste is and dry, warming, and average in acidity, medium-bodied, with unbalanced structure, tired and the palate is modest. On the palate it is layered and has white fruits, bread, dried-fruit and licorice flavours. The finish is medium long and a bit too bitter .. This wine is an easy-drinking and uninteresting. I paid around 200-500€ a bottle. Perfectly stored bottles are still very worthy and will last well for another 1-5 years and decant at least 45min before tasting. Too expensive for quality. I do not recommend it.

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  • 87p

The 2002 Cristal is now entering its first plateau of maturity, which makes it a terrific Champagne for drinking now. Hints of apricot, brioche, lemon confit, honey, hazelnut, baked apple tart and spice give the 2002 striking layers of nuance. Rich and generous, the 2002 show plenty of the natural opulence of the year and yet retains terrific freshness as well. As always, Cristal is a blend of Pinot from Ay, Verzenay, Verzy and Beaumont sur Vesle, and Chardonnay from Mesnil, Cramant and Oger. Dosage is 9 grams per liter. This is the original 2010 disgorgement. What a wine.

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  • 97p

A dry, warm year with outbreaks of heavy rain. August was a month of extremes, with rain followed by scorching temperatures then violent thundery intervals. An anticyclone at the start of September gave way to rain towards 8 September followed by fine weather that lasted throughout the harvest. The vintage was marked by the outstanding quality of the grapes, registering a degree of alcohol content rarely achieved in Champagne. These conditions allowed the harvest to begin on 12 September in the Côte des Blancs, 13 September in the Marne Valley, and 16 September in the Montagne de Reims. Disgorged January 2010.


First bottle of this was rejected. Second bottle: And even this is a bit oxidised. Deep gold. Very mature nose. I would guess it had been oak fermented from the nose. Big and broad. It almost seems low in acidity. Nourishing finish. This bottle seems prematurely aged. Score for second bottle: 16.5, Drink 2008-2012. Third bottle (not chilled): tighter and fresher on the nose but still big and notably savoury/yeast extract.

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  • 91p

The 2002 Cristal is one seriously big, huge even, Champagne, and while this cuvee normally shows a seamless, elegant style, the 2002 vintage’s fruit profile dominates this wine. Toasted bread, oak spice, orchard fruits and toasted nuts give way to a full-bodied, mouthfilling, rich 2002 that stays light, graceful and elegant on the palate, with good to moderate acidity. It’s beautiful today, yet has two more decades of longevity.

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  • 96p

A re-release of the original 2010 disgorgement. Super fine, super fresh and super savory aromas of chalky stones with hints of flowers, white almonds, lemon peel and grapefruit. The palate has intense, mouth-filling, lemon-curd flavor. Very powerful, very concentrated and very expressive. Smooth finish that’s full of life, leaving a bright, white cherry note. Drink in 2022.

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  • 98p

A glorious, precise, intense Cristal with lifted acidity. This champagne is incredibly youthful with lovely purity and minerality. Long, persistent length.

 

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  • 96p
The first time the full 50 ha of estate vineyards reserved for Cristal grapes were used for Cristal. For Cristal we only use +25 years old vines. Cristal vineyards are in total 100 ha. 40 lieu-dit sites with mid-slope orientation.
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  • 93p
2002 Cristal A bit closed nose but with layers of roasted nuts, yellow apples, deep and very seductive, Japanese pear, hints of butter, curry and brioche. Perfect Cristal nose but still not completely open. Full bodied, full throttle palate with ripe yellow apples, ripe citrus, Japanese pear, hints of nuts, ripe peach, cane sugar, brioche, white flowers. Very rich mid palate but at the same time very vibrant and long with an amazing grip and lots of mineral notes on the never ending finish. Amazing! Tasted four times with consistent notes. 2017-2032+ 97p.
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  • 97p
Light yellow straw colour. Intense, lightly smoky with great citrus support nose. Gently smoky nose and very fresh white flowers. Right now dominates fresh flowery-mineral-smoky notes with a dash of howthorn and very ripe citrus fruits. Very fresh and elegant in the mouth. Massive concentration, but everything built on elegance. Great fruity finish with excellent wrap of tingled minerality. So fresh and youthful!! And fruits are not tired at all- they are massive and exploiding!! Endless finish and great complexity. Seems even younger than recenly atsted Mgn. 96+
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  • 96p
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Information

Origin

Reims, Champagne

Vintage Quality

Excellent

Value For Money

Good

Investment potential

Very Good

Fake factory

Be Cautious

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Coteaux Champenois Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Hommage à Camille

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Vintage

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Inside Information

During the tasting, Cristal 2002 of Roederer unveils a bouquet of a great richness revealing gradually the intensity of its aromas. Quaffable flowery notes, married to carefully toasted nuts, cacao and candied citrus fruits aromas, show the sophistication of this particularly racy cuvée. On the palate, Cristal 2002 is broad and caresses the palate with its unctuousness. This champagne reveals fragrances of riped fruits accompanied by quaffing notes of caramel, viennoiserie and white chocolate. The whole is completed by freshness on a nice bitterness, giving to the wine an exquisite crunchy sensation.

 

Roederer's 2002 Cristal is a fabulous wine! Originally released in 2009, it was re-released in March this year—and was sold out in a very short time. The Cristal I tasted at Roederer in May 2018 was disgorged in 2010, after seven years sur lie. Its amazing richness and concentration makes it a forerunner of the 2015 and follows the 1999. Only two times—2002 and 2015—the fruit from all 42 plots reserved for Cristal was used for the Cristal. "I couldn't do any better blend than the one assembling all the 42 plots," says Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, stressing that at that time only two hectares were farmed biodynamically. As a result of the conversion to biodynamic farming, Lécaillon promised himself the production of even more beautiful, vital and balanced wines, and you can feel his satisfaction whenever he speaks of the cuvées that are yet to come such as 2012 and 2015, the latter of which he calls "the new 2002." Back to history: the nose of the 2002 Cristal shows a deep, ripe and elegant fruit with aromas of white chocolate, wet chalk, wild vanilla and pepper (typical for 2002) as well as terroir-driven truffle notes. Intense and very elegant in the mouth, this is a ripe, rich and concentrated yet also pure and vital Cristal with great finesse, elegance and mineral complexity. It's a sublime Champagne right now, although it's more wine than Champagne. Drink 2018-2050.

Score: 98Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate (237), June 2018

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